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Getting Married in the Caribbean – Cayman or Costa Rica?

When most people think about getting married in the Caribbean area, they think of Saint Lucia, Antigua, The Grenadines or the Cayman Islands. But, did you know that Costa Rica is on the CaribbeanOcean, that is on one side at least, and the Pacific Ocean is on the other?

Caribbean Driftwood Wedding Arch

Wedding planner Aviva Samuels says, “I find that brides and grooms who choose a Caribbean destination wedding are more focused on the environment than on the remaining details. Couples want a place that’s easy to travel to and have fun. It’s a time for celebration. It shouldn’t be stressful.” As this wedding article states, “Increased requests to book Caribbean weddings and honeymoons are attributed to the rising trend of smaller ceremonies, a budget savvy culture, an improving economy, and the desire to do something different.”

For me, the Caribbean was the first area I explored when I moved to Costa Rica twenty years ago. I danced and listened to reggae music. This wasn’t the typical salsa and meringue that I expected to hear when I arrived in Costa Rica. Still today, the area has not experienced the growth and large resort hotels that are found in the Central Pacific or Guanacaste and it remains very close to the area I explored all those years ago.

Wedding Reception Lobster Dinner

What describes the Caribbean is the color, the verdant landscape of the tropics, music and laid back “vibe.” The beaches are some of the most beautiful you’ll find in Costa Rica. The cuisine boasts jerk chicken, patacones, lobster in Caribbean sauce, pan bon, coconut tarts, rice and red beans.

I love planning weddings in the Caribbean in August, September and October. That’s when it’s summer in this area, as the rainy, “green season” is in the Pacific and the rest of the country. So, during those months, you might especially want to plan your wedding in the Caribbean where the weather would be perfect for an outdoor, oceanside wedding.